I have around 5 years of firsthand 'mook' level experience in large bureaucratically run corporations with tense customer/client relations. I have also been part of the website development staff since the summer before the 2007 convention and have seen first hand how attendees react to several levels of signage and communication.

I know how limited my /marketing/ experience is, and that I am in fact the precise opposite personality from the one best suited to market.

I see the Publicity department as being slightly mis-categorised; I feel Communications is a much better title for the department. Publications are merely one aspect of Communications which I would seek a highly skilled staff member to Manage, and one or more Coordinators who would normally assist but could also take over for the manager in case the unforeseen kept them from being able to fulfill their duties.

Deadlines, soft and hard, are one major aspect of communications which I would be involved in at every step of the way. Both making sure that desired checkpoints are met, and that the final product is ready at the desired time. One way I will do that is to create a dependency graph of key results that involve every unit of communication and publications. Some will be inter-related and others will not.

As an example, the print-runs feed in to bag stuffing, which we would like to accomplish at one of the two final pre-convention meetings. Receiving publications from our ad-swap partners and other sponsors before that time is also a requirement. Before we can send the pocket and main guides to publishing the schedule needs to be fixed, which requires a final list of events and a system for efficiently coordinating scheduling and naming of events and rooms.

With us possibly facing a very hard cap in 2010, would it make more sense for Publicity to focus on building community partnerships than trying to promote Kcon to new people?

Basically, the money that usually pays for advertising would support our work with Keep Portland Weird, Eugene Asian Festival, outreach events and the like?

I believe the effects of a hard cap would best be decided by the board as a whole, or the chair in specific. As a suggestion I would say to allow the first 3000 to 4000 to reserve online. After that some number would be as a lottery format, with a few slots reserved for daily attendance.

The next step depends on if we have a solid contract for 2011/beyond or not. If we do, I would like to have newspapers, TV, and other press 'break the story' on this convention's historical growth, and our recent struggles at securing a venue that supports something the size of an indoor fair spanning 96 hours. The culmination of the story about the solution we'd found to the problem that would allow us to operate; without a cap, next year.

It also depends on the information other departments desire communicated to the public; will we try to keep the homegrown fan-centric feel in our future conventions? Or are we instead going to become more industry centric? What about the issues we've had with PAX in the last two years? (That may have actually helped us this year.)

The focus of our outreach, if we have a large venue in 2011, should be on growth for that year and beyond, and merely a reminder that we hold Kumoricon 'Every Labor Day Weekend'.

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---Staff 2007-20102010-2008: Website Development (So very very much in the last month before the convention at last; Good thing I'm looking for work x.x and have the spare time ~.~)2007: Website Administration (Mascot Voting Input, Live Schedule)

A question set for any potential Publicity Directors who will also be running for other departments:

Do you feel you will be able to simultaneously fulfill the duties of multiple departments? Or would you instead prefer one department over another?

A question for JeffT:

Could you please summarize and enumerate the typical duties Publicity has before the convention (besides the obvious), and any duties Publicity in general and the Publicity Director in specific have during the convention? (I consider the initial run of signs as pre-convention setup; though it should count towards 'at convention' time for any involved staff.)

My current understanding of during-convention duties for Publicity involves communicating updates to event scheduling via several formats, and effectively operating as press-specific relations for both pre-arranged journalists of various types and any local/national media which might suddenly realize they'd like to cover Six Thousand people, a good percentage of which are in cosplay, stuffing in to a single hotel downtown and driving local business.

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---Staff 2007-20102010-2008: Website Development (So very very much in the last month before the convention at last; Good thing I'm looking for work x.x and have the spare time ~.~)2007: Website Administration (Mascot Voting Input, Live Schedule)

With us possibly facing a very hard cap in 2010, would it make more sense for Publicity to focus on building community partnerships than trying to promote Kcon to new people?

Basically, the money that usually pays for advertising would support our work with Keep Portland Weird, Eugene Asian Festival, outreach events and the like?

If there is a hard cap, and it seems likely that this may happen, then I do believe that it is important to work on community relations and focus our energy on making the Kumoricon name known, as opposed to purely looking for more attendees. In fact, whether or not there is a cap, I wish to try to create more awareness of anime in general, and about Kumoricon in specific.

This year I appeared on a television program called Freedom TV to talk about the convention and anime, and my goal for next year is to do more of those appearances in other media. Every year we run into locals who love anime that have never heard of the con, and we need to create more awareness in Portland. One thing I plan to do is a small anime training session for the staff at the Hilton, going in and talking about what anime is and what they can expect over our convention weekend, which should hopefully lead to less overwhelmed staff.

We have a very strong presence with many local groups, and they love our cat ear booths, so I certainly want to keep us focusing on outreach. This tends to be far more effective than paid ads and we see a better return both in attendance and local knowledge.

Currently I have been the assistant director of Publicity since June 2008, taking on a vast variety of tasks from creating the convention book, writing press releases, communicating with media, managing staff, creating ads and publicity documents, working mini-events, and generally filling in when needed. Before Kumoricon I worked for Anime Nebraska for three years, where I was a founding member and ran Public Relations, which in our convention encompassed publicity, marketing, guests, and industry relations.

I also received my Masters Degree in Publishing, where I focused on Publicity/Marketing and Graphic Design. In addition I run two websites with wordpress. I also have ran publicity events and done a great deal of networking in various internships and other volunteer positions.

In general, I know all the various tasks of publicity very well, and am competent in filing in for any of them. While I plan to have a very competent staff, many of which positions I already have ideas for, I am also capable of filling in where ever there might be a problem. So in other words, I would never want to, but I could run the whole department myself if I had to. Its very important for directors to be able to handle all aspects of the position, because as I have seen too many times, emergencies come up and you are suddenly forced to taken on new tasks.

I feel my core competency is in communicating with attendees, media, and staff, working to create a stronger community between ourselves and Portland. This will ultimately lead to more press and attendees.

A question set for any potential Publicity Directors who will also be running for other departments:

Do you feel you will be able to simultaneously fulfill the duties of multiple departments? Or would you instead prefer one department over another?

I'm really only running for Publicity. I considered Relations, but I feel I can have a larger impact in Publicity, plus I've been being trained in that department for the last year. While I am still in the running for relations, my heart is in publicity.

While it might be hard, it would be a nice thing if you could get an add on one of the TV stations that people know about and hit a larger audience. Ya they cost monies maybe you could try to get some shout outs on the local community access hehe

Could you please summarize and enumerate the typical duties Publicity has before the convention (besides the obvious), and any duties Publicity in general and the Publicity Director in specific have during the convention? (I consider the initial run of signs as pre-convention setup; though it should count towards 'at convention' time for any involved staff.)

My current understanding of during-convention duties for Publicity involves communicating updates to event scheduling via several formats, and effectively operating as press-specific relations for both pre-arranged journalists of various types and any local/national media which might suddenly realize they'd like to cover Six Thousand people, a good percentage of which are in cosplay, stuffing in to a single hotel downtown and driving local business.

As far as duties for publicity go, since Jeff isn't answering yet, here goes a good chunk of them - our primary role is to enlighten the public about Kumoricon, bringing us more attendees, and keeping our current attendees informed about events all year long. This is done through publications (newsletter, con book, press kits, signage), media contact (encouraging press, pre-con articles, sending out press releases, conducting interviews), managing street team and filling in for holes, maintaining an online presence (website, facebook, twitter, myspace, web ads, monitoring forum), purchasing and trading ads, outreach events (selling merchandise, set-up, coordination with volunteer/staff, pre-reg) as well as creating and selling each years merchandise. In addition our job is to communicate with all the other departments and make sure their graphic design and publication needs are being met and that their information is communicated properly to the public and staff. At convention the job gets slightly easier, as the primary duties are meeting with press and often industry, making sure press's needs are met, running the merchandise booth, updating website/twittering/getting messages to attendees, keeping signage up-to-date, monitoring forums, and helping with other things as needed.In general, publicities duties are higher before con, probably around 20 hours every week, and at con we kind of get a vague break. Except, of course directors still have to deal with board and general convention issues that come up.

While it might be hard, it would be a nice thing if you could get an add on one of the TV stations that people know about and hit a larger audience. Ya they cost monies maybe you could try to get some shout outs on the local community access hehe

We've considered an ad on the TV stations before, but it usually comes down to ROI (return on investment) and it's just too expensive to justify. Plus this year, with us very likely having a cap, an advertisement is not going to do us anywhere near as much good as actual news coverage. YouTube commercials and viral videos. though. is an avenue I'd like to explore, if I can get the right resources.

I did appear on a local community access show this last year, right before con, and we will continue to try to foster good relationships with that show (Freedom TV) and others that might be interested in us. That is one reason that outreach events, like the various Uwajimaya festivals, are so important to us, because we meet press that is covering those events.

Also, Freedom TV isn't with the guy who always wears that baseball cap is it? Doesn't seem like the place for an add if that was him, but anything helps.

No, Freedom TV is done by a woman and I'm too sleepy to remember her name right now. Its a show that talks about all kinds of things, from political to community outreach. Mostly we talked about what anime is and the history of it, but we also covered some of the great things you can do at Kumoricon. Once we get a copy of the DVD, I will get it on the site or possibly YouTube (as long as we receive permission for that).

I'm fairly sure I've seen at least one of her shows. My family think I'm weird for it being one of my only channels I like. I think they are brainwashed. Anyhow hope we get that vid and more like it for next year.

I'm fairly sure I've seen at least one of her shows. My family think I'm weird for it being one of my only channels I like. I think they are brainwashed. Anyhow hope we get that vid and more like it for next year.

Nothing wrong with public access! I couldn't actually watch the show though, as public access channels vary by service provider, and that one is only on Comcast.

I will definitely get the video released in some way if I can and when I get it.

(a) I'd be into buying previous year's posters and con books as souvenirs and as promo material to show family/friends what I've been investing all this time and energy in for the past 7+ years. Is that something Publicity is/should be open to?(b) Would you be open to creating staff positions, the sole task of which is copy editing the con book (and perhaps the schedule)? Not having to be involved beforehand, not having say (editing), but looking at the finished prototype that is about to go to print, and objectively (as folks not having already invested hours in it) catching typos, layout issues, etc.? (If so, I am open to be part of a team helping with this.)(c) Are there areas of your department that definitely need more help, or less help?(d) When there is a need for any kind of "damage control", is that Publicity, Relations, or Facilities Liason, or does that vary with in whose eyes our image needs repair?(e) Are there any material items that need to be acquired and dedicated to the department, rather than relying on staff/management's personal versions of those pieces of equipment? If so, would you (or Relations) be able to secure corporate donations of them, or would we have to fundraise for them or allocate to them from con budget?(f) Do we use recycled paper and soy-based inks? If not, can we start doing so?

(a) I'd be into buying previous year's posters and con books as souvenirs and as promo material to show family/friends what I've been investing all this time and energy in for the past 7+ years. Is that something Publicity is/should be open to?(b) Would you be open to creating staff positions, the sole task of which is copy editing the con book (and perhaps the schedule)? Not having to be involved beforehand, not having say (editing), but looking at the finished prototype that is about to go to print, and objectively (as folks not having already invested hours in it) catching typos, layout issues, etc.? (If so, I am open to be part of a team helping with this.)(c) Are there areas of your department that definitely need more help, or less help?(d) When there is a need for any kind of "damage control", is that Publicity, Relations, or Facilities Liason, or does that vary with in whose eyes our image needs repair?(e) Are there any material items that need to be acquired and dedicated to the department, rather than relying on staff/management's personal versions of those pieces of equipment? If so, would you (or Relations) be able to secure corporate donations of them, or would we have to fundraise for them or allocate to them from con budget?(f) Do we use recycled paper and soy-based inks? If not, can we start doing so?

A) We actually were selling some posters in merchandise this year, though to my understanding they didn't sell very well. I'd be happy to keep doing that, though it does take up table space from other merchandise that sells better. I don't believe we have many program books lying around, besides 2008 and 2009. At least, I didn't find any others during locker clean out.

B) We do have a number of different positions that involve editing/copy editing. I don't know that I would create a whole new staff position to just be copy editor, because I don't think there would be enough work for a staff position there. That being said though, I'd be happy to have a few people on hand who are able to help look at those things right before print, such as other staff members from other departments. This last year, I think we had six or seven people catching errors, and we caught most of them, but there are always last minute fixes and changes. That is one thing that anyone who wanted to help with copy editing would have to understand, we need a very fast turn around on the copy editing, because so many things aren't even available until right before the deadline. But I'd be happy to have you on board for that.

In general though, I am also looking to make sure that all of my staff have a good grasp of communication, grammar, and editing, and making sure we all balance each other out. For instance, I'm much better at content editing, making sure the point comes across clearly and professionally, than I am at figuring out all the nuances of grammar, so I am looking for an assistant who is excellent with grammar.

C) One area of help I'd love to get is a dedicated merchandise person. The person who did it this year is great, but she had to quickly take over for someone one else, and the year before I had to quickly take over right before con. Merchandise seems to be a position that people are interested in, but that always then gets put off to the last minute, forcing us to have rush orders. This year my goal is to start much earlier and have pre-orders of merchandise available before con (as long as the board agrees). This would allow us to do higher ticket items, like messenger bags, as year specific items. Our current rules don't allow selling year specific things the next year, so we always have to be careful and make sure that we don't order too much. I'd also love to get someone really dedicated to producing a newsletter, which I know Wade is interested in.

Mostly the areas that I need help in are just getting people who understand that publicity staff is year round, and that means there are always things to do. Unfortunately I've seen it in many conventions that from about two months after con to two months before con are very dead periods, as the energy and excitement fades away. Luckily at publicity staff means having some free time at convention, as there is a lot less work at con.

D) Damage control does depend on where the damage is - if something is happening in Programing, then Jaki can speak on the subject a lot better than I can. But in general, it does fall under Publicity and Con Chair, and its Publicity's job to write up or edit responses, making sure they are readable and addressing all issues, and making sure damage is being dealt with, either directly or in helping the appropriate director do it.

E) I will look into using recycled paper and soy-based inks. I know costs are dropping as more and more printers are able to do this, but I also know there are various considerations, such as soy-ink doesn't work well on all papers (I'm pretty sure it doesn't work on glossy/magazine paper, so I don't think it would work for our program) or from all printers. So it'll come down to cost and availability. But I'll definitely look into it, I know we are trying to make ourselves more green, such as implementing a better recycling program at convention.

Thanks for a thorough and logical reply.I would love to get an extra copy of the con books from 2008 and 2009 (PM me about feasibility).Honestly I would've been certain there were 10 hours' worth of copy editing chores between the con book, the schedule, and the online version of the schedule. But if you feel there is not, perhaps someone could also work on the newsletter (or, as you mentioned, you could cull folks from other departments who happen to have a knack and talent for copy editing ).BTW, whatever happened to the newsletter? What would you like to see happen with the newsletter?Should KC develop its own youtube (or comparable) channel? If so what should be on it?

(a) I'd be into buying previous year's posters and con books as souvenirs and as promo material to show family/friends what I've been investing all this time and energy in for the past 7+ years. Is that something Publicity is/should be open to?(b) Would you be open to creating staff positions, the sole task of which is copy editing the con book (and perhaps the schedule)? Not having to be involved beforehand, not having say (editing), but looking at the finished prototype that is about to go to print, and objectively (as folks not having already invested hours in it) catching typos, layout issues, etc.? (If so, I am open to be part of a team helping with this.)(c) Are there areas of your department that definitely need more help, or less help?(d) When there is a need for any kind of "damage control", is that Publicity, Relations, or Facilities Liason, or does that vary with in whose eyes our image needs repair?(e) Are there any material items that need to be acquired and dedicated to the department, rather than relying on staff/management's personal versions of those pieces of equipment? If so, would you (or Relations) be able to secure corporate donations of them, or would we have to fundraise for them or allocate to them from con budget?(f) Do we use recycled paper and soy-based inks? If not, can we start doing so?

a) I know in 2007 we signed the posters and one went to charity auction. I think that is the only place I'd want to sell prior year's items.

b) I agree with CassieR, proofing the various major productions is both a rush job and something only at an extremely specific time of the year. If there were a fractional staff duty system I'd probably rate that between 1/100th and 4/100ths (1/25th) of an 'at convention only' position.

c) Website Development is the area I am most familiar with. By the convention this year it had Jeff, two others, and my self. I think maybe 5 is the upper limit that should be working on the database/code of the website. Though website /content/ could probably use additional staff. More then additional staff we need a better structure for designating project leads and assigning currently free developers to projects.

d) I see Publicity as conveying the message more than deciding what the message is; to me everything is either a general convention wide (chair), or department specific message.

e) Publicity seems to have three types of resource needs in addition to staffing. 1) Commodity services (servers, bandwidth, SSL CA certs if we do our own registration instead of contracting it). 2) Special batch runs (Printed documents, merchandise, etc). 3) Hardware that will be continually re-used until we kill it. I don't know if we own the button making equipment, but that and normal laser printers are my thought here.

f) I don't know; if I had to guess given my own samples of the bag stuffing I'd say we either don't use recycled paper or use extremely high grade recycled paper. I'd like a print-run example on recycled paper with soy ink of the types we'd use for the pocket guides. I'm worried if it isn't water resistant that we'll end up having more 'lost bags' from attendees who want an extra pocket guide to replace the one that's become a sopping mess in their costume's pocket...

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---Staff 2007-20102010-2008: Website Development (So very very much in the last month before the convention at last; Good thing I'm looking for work x.x and have the spare time ~.~)2007: Website Administration (Mascot Voting Input, Live Schedule)

Thanks for a thorough and logical reply.I would love to get an extra copy of the con books from 2008 and 2009 (PM me about feasibility).Honestly I would've been certain there were 10 hours' worth of copy editing chores between the con book, the schedule, and the online version of the schedule. But if you feel there is not, perhaps someone could also work on the newsletter (or, as you mentioned, you could cull folks from other departments who happen to have a knack and talent for copy editing ).BTW, whatever happened to the newsletter? What would you like to see happen with the newsletter?Should KC develop its own youtube (or comparable) channel? If so what should be on it?

Is 10 hours the requirement for a staff position? That seems kind of low, as I know most staffers tend to work *a lot* more than that at least at con. But, anyways, I'll definitely consider making it a position, though we do have a Writing and Editing Coordinator, whose job it really should be to do copy editing. I will be looking for the right person to fill that position next year. I do have a person in mind for it though, who is an amazing editor.

Unfortunately, Publicity as a full year position tends to have a lot of people come and go, as life situations change (moving, new jobs, school terms, etc).

I would love to see the newsletter happen a few times a year. Typically though, nobody really wants to take it over as their position, and content can be rather hard to come by as other departments don't always have time to write things up for us. Usually it is simply one of those things where we want to have it, but too many other pressing and important things come up, so we don't have the staff to dedicate to it. Still, just having a lot of the Kumoricon videos linked in a nice central place would be good, though they would have to be reviewed for content before we officially recognized them.

A YouTube Channel would be great, and at the very least it would be nice to get some of our videos in the same place. As for new content though, I think that would probably be too ambitious for us right now, unless we had someone come along who wanted to make it their project. But certainly going through attendee videos and such and linking them together would be great. I'd need to take the time to review them for content first of course.

I do have interest in viral videos as well, and I will continue to explore that as an advertising options. Any project like that though would take the involvement of quite a few staff members, and we'll just have to see how many other pressing things come along. In publicity there are things we *have* to do, and things I'd love to get done if I have the time.

Oh, and I did forget to answer E somehow.

We do own our own button machine and some resources, and I plan to look into getting a new printer (though I think I have one I can donate that is an excellent ink jet). Publicity isn't a department with a high material item need, as many of the things we do, such as obtaining merchandise, needs to be done by an outside company. If we needed items though, I will certainly look into corporate donations, as anyone who went to SDCC with me knows, I'm excellent at getting free things .

Do not underestimate how long it takes to properly copy edit something. It literally means looking at every single letter and blank space on every page meticulously. For the combination of the con book and the schedule and the online schedule, if it *didn't* take 10 hours, I'd be both shocked, and certain something would be overlooked.....but anyway.

I would think that if Newsletter Coordinator existed as a position it could attract someone who wants to be totally free *during* con (except perhaps to interview some GoH or panelists for the next edition or something).

What are some of the responsibilities that Publicity Director, Assistant, and crew carry out *during* con? Are there any you'd want to delegate?If you had unlimited ability to create and fill new positions, how would you structure your department?

Well, let me put it this way - We rarely have 10 hours for the copy editor to work.... Anyways, it is a position, its the Writing and Editing Coordinator.. if they can't fullfill the copy editing duties, then I might look at having a dedicated copy editor position.

The above position is also supposed to be in charge of the newsletter, creating and collecting the content (or having staff under them help with that), and then sending it to our publication's manager to produce for the website. If someone is interested in the newsletter, I would love to hear from them. Wade has expressed some interest, so we will see how that works out.

At convention, as I said to Micheal earlier, the primary duties are meeting with press and often industry, making sure press's needs are met, running the merchandise booth, updating website/twittering/getting messages to attendees, keeping signage up-to-date, monitoring the forums, and helping with other things as needed.

The director and assistant also of course have various convention related tasks that aren't specific to publicity, such as attending meetings, helping filling in holes, and in general being available for emergencies.

Not sure what exactly you mean by delegate. My goal is to delegate everything I can to competent people (and cover myself everything nobody else wants). Its really a year by year thing, depending on who applies for what positions and what skills I know they have...

Honestly, I don't want to make any vast changes to the department. Our org chart makes sense and is doable. Its mostly about finding people who are interested and passionate about their positions.

Thanks for the detailed answer. I have zero intent to propose any changes to your department, just had been seeing a lot of nitpicking in another thread over the con book, which I thought looked terrific (as I said, I want to buy extra copies of it, even), and thought that with most of the main positions in the con having so much to do with so much time pressure both immediately before and during con, that adding someone who wasn't involved in time pressure on anything other than copy editing might relieve some of the burden on you. I think y'all are doing great And hopefully if Wade takes Newsletter he can still split his time as he did this year; he's way too talented an artist for us to lose him as a panelist and hopefully staff at Creation Station Fondly,Rem.

Yeah, and I will definitely take you up on your offer to copy edit the final version, if you have the time. I think we want to keep it a "secret" to some degree until convention, especially the contest cover winner, but we can also always use a few more eyes to give it that final run through.

Well, the nice thing about publicity staff, is that they can definitely do other at con things, such as run panels, as most of their work is before hand.

Oh, and you asked before what I got at SDCC... I got a little of everything Jaki said she didn't even use all the stuff I got her as prizes, and I think a little stuff went into the charity auction. For myself I got a lot of new T-shirts, a cool marvel coffee mug, magnets... all sorts of things. I had a blast ^_^ And it was a great place for Dawn and I to network for the con with industry people as well. I have plans to do more at SDCC next year for Kumoricon.

Sweet! I look forward to it.Hope to attend SDCC some day myself (though without Lost, I have much less incentive ).Here's to hoping you can still run your own panels at the CS as a Director!(And we'll start much earlier finding someone to help with your AA table!)

I have been checking this thread over the day; I don't think I've seen any additional questions that I should answer, but if I am mistaken please remind me of the questions.

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---Staff 2007-20102010-2008: Website Development (So very very much in the last month before the convention at last; Good thing I'm looking for work x.x and have the spare time ~.~)2007: Website Administration (Mascot Voting Input, Live Schedule)

How comfortable are you talking with and schmoozing with press and industry?

How are you with press in general? Press can be pretty aggressive and negative / freaky stories play better to general public than stories about how nifty something is. How can you make them interested in seeing Kcon as a whole, and not just a lookit-these-wierdos newsbyte?

Industry sometimes involved Pub as well as Rel. How are you with dealing with big companies, small companies, etc involved on Kcon Industry relations?

How comfortable are you talking with and schmoozing with press and industry?

How are you with press in general? Press can be pretty aggressive and negative / freaky stories play better to general public than stories about how nifty something is. How can you make them interested in seeing Kcon as a whole, and not just a lookit-these-wierdos newsbyte?

Industry sometimes involved Pub as well as Rel. How are you with dealing with big companies, small companies, etc involved on Kcon Industry relations?

I'm very comfortable schmoozing with everyone from attendees to press. I've been in a number positions before, including here at Kumoricon, where it was necessary to talk to people and make sure everyone was having a good time, while subtly trying to get something in the end. There is definitely an art to asking for things (press, donations, contact numbers) without offending the person or seeming too forward.

With the press I've given interviews, written press releases, and had many general interactions with press. It is true that we have a "freak" factor, but in Portland, that's not exactly a bad thing. The press needs to be directed to the right story and given something interesting enough to make the news, while not hurting or offending our attendees. In fact, we might need to embrace the idea of "Keep Portland Weird" more, and go from that angle. Show people just one more fun and unique way people in Portland can have a great weekend.

Industry is certainly something I also feel comfortable dealing with. I know people from many different anime related businesses, and I think it is partially Publicity's job to strengthen those relationships. We rely on donations, screening, and guests from the anime industry, so its important that every department knows how to deal with them, but most importantly Relations and Publicity. And Directors will always be the face of Kumoricon in the wider world of the anime industry, so its important that all of them know how to speak, write, and function in those settings.

As I said earlier, it's also all about knowing how to make connections with people so that you can utilize those connections without making those people/companies feel like you are simply using them. There is a fine line that one in Publicity or Relations must walk, to get everything we need, while still keeping great relationships and never pushing too hard.

How comfortable are you talking with and schmoozing with press and industry?

How are you with press in general? Press can be pretty aggressive and negative / freaky stories play better to general public than stories about how nifty something is. How can you make them interested in seeing Kcon as a whole, and not just a lookit-these-wierdos newsbyte?

Industry sometimes involved Pub as well as Rel. How are you with dealing with big companies, small companies, etc involved on Kcon Industry relations?

I think I'd probably be jumping in to the deep end and learning how to swim with the first question; Kumoricon more or less the only time I socialize face to face with those I haven't met previously. Public school pretty much only prepared me to avoid most people. Most of the press are adults instead of immature students, I am hopeful I'd have better results socializing with them.

I am all too aware how easy it is for the press to cover fighting of all kinds, drama in general, and any aspects that are most freakish or socially deviant; though I will give the press the benefit of doubt about malicious intent and remember that those are also what they likely find most interesting. The key then would be to provide interesting and positive material to fill the void.

The job of companies is to connect with consumers and provide a result that is valued to both parties. As a website I enjoy reading, http://www.techdirt.com frequently states "Connect with Fans, give them a Reason to Buy". The first part is where Kumoricon can help; we can connect fans with offers they feel are valued, at which point the natural reaction is to buy. As a very thrifty fan my self, I will gladly provide my opinion on various offers or desires if asked.

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---Staff 2007-20102010-2008: Website Development (So very very much in the last month before the convention at last; Good thing I'm looking for work x.x and have the spare time ~.~)2007: Website Administration (Mascot Voting Input, Live Schedule)

(a) I'm all for the keep Portland wierd/ freak angle Especially since we're trying to cap, not grow, we might as well be overt about the more unique and fun aspects of our subculture(s).(b) Yay for Cassie having an AA assistant already for next year!(c) Curious, Dawn, what was it your panel? Was it the Go panel?(d) What do you see as the role of street team next year, if we're trying to stave off further growth?

Nani Naze Kumoricon - Basically a panel on Kumoricon, how it work, how it's structured, etc. It might've been more attended if the title wasn't a reference older than many of our attendees.

Far too many of the people I dealt with when answering reg emails last year assumed we were part of some giant company. Some people wanted to 'stop by our corporate offices'. Also, talked to too many parents who think someone is making money off of this event. Basically, the panel wound up mostly be being and an Anime Expo exec answering a bunch of questions posed by someone working on a Worldcon bid.

(a) I'm all for the keep Portland wierd/ freak angle Especially since we're trying to cap, not grow, we might as well be overt about the more unique and fun aspects of our subculture(s).(b) Yay for Cassie having an AA assistant already for next year!(c) Curious, Dawn, what was it your panel? Was it the Go panel?(d) What do you see as the role of street team next year, if we're trying to stave off further growth?

I see the main duty of publicity as getting word out -about- the cap this year; register early if you plan on going, we'll still try to keep some headroom for daily admissions/whatever the official message from the board as a whole is.

Street team and our involvement in any other potential community building activities would revolve around getting that same message out.

Additionally as soon as we know about 2011+ we should add that information to our advertising; especially if we can say something to the effect of "Kumoricon every Labor Day Weekend; Friday, Saturday, Sunday."

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---Staff 2007-20102010-2008: Website Development (So very very much in the last month before the convention at last; Good thing I'm looking for work x.x and have the spare time ~.~)2007: Website Administration (Mascot Voting Input, Live Schedule)

Additionally as soon as we know about 2011+ we should add that information to our advertising; especially if we can say something to the effect of "Kumoricon every Labor Day Weekend; Friday, Saturday, Sunday."

Additionally as soon as we know about 2011+ we should add that information to our advertising; especially if we can say something to the effect of "Kumoricon every Labor Day Weekend; Friday, Saturday, Sunday."

And Monday?

Yes... and Monday, I wasn't actually trying to get ahead of my self, but somehow typed out the nights I stayed up late this year instead of the official days of the convention...

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---Staff 2007-20102010-2008: Website Development (So very very much in the last month before the convention at last; Good thing I'm looking for work x.x and have the spare time ~.~)2007: Website Administration (Mascot Voting Input, Live Schedule)

As far as I'm aware (which is only normal staff level) there has not been any serious discussion of expanding to a 4th day recently.

However I do like the idea of holding an extra event on Friday Night. Maybe AMV Viewing Run 0 or a pre-reg dance or something else like that. A light warm-up to main activities.

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---Staff 2007-20102010-2008: Website Development (So very very much in the last month before the convention at last; Good thing I'm looking for work x.x and have the spare time ~.~)2007: Website Administration (Mascot Voting Input, Live Schedule)

Ooh if it were up to me we'd have a staff chance to see the AMV show (as I haven't been able to make it to the AMV room while running fan creation rooms! Irony!). I really enjoyed in the past being able to be part of judging the AMV entries though.

---Staff 2007-20102010-2008: Website Development (So very very much in the last month before the convention at last; Good thing I'm looking for work x.x and have the spare time ~.~)2007: Website Administration (Mascot Voting Input, Live Schedule)

Guy's great about making them available, but for example I think he'd told me he would show them to staff Monday morning, which is when I was with my crew judging fanfic/manga/webcomic entries and helping with the art contest.

I don't have a copy of the adult section which wasn't on the wireless network; I gave Guy links to md5 sum checking software for windows, and an md5sum file of the data I had copied, but he's yet to check/reply that he has checked.

The pre-contest takes 940mb, so without it, or with only selected items everything else could easily fit on a single DVD. Though I wouldn't want to commit to non-modifiable storage until after I verify I have complete and correct copies of the files (what the md5 checksum would do).

Logged

---Staff 2007-20102010-2008: Website Development (So very very much in the last month before the convention at last; Good thing I'm looking for work x.x and have the spare time ~.~)2007: Website Administration (Mascot Voting Input, Live Schedule)

(a) I'm all for the keep Portland wierd/ freak angle Especially since we're trying to cap, not grow, we might as well be overt about the more unique and fun aspects of our subculture(s).(b) Yay for Cassie having an AA assistant already for next year!(c) Curious, Dawn, what was it your panel? Was it the Go panel?(d) What do you see as the role of street team next year, if we're trying to stave off further growth?

Sorry Rem, I somehow missed this set of questions.

A) Yep, I think we need to keep our freak angle up and encourage other people who might see Anime as being too weird to understand how much it really crosses genre, and how like if you consider yourself a vampire geek, you too will find a home here... Things like that. I don't think we necessarily want to encourage people to come if they don't like anime, but we need to help build bridges of understanding.

B) My AA assistant is awesome and she is gonna go to Sak with me too. And I will probably talk her into staff as well, cause she has a lot of marketing and graphic design experience.

D) Street team is still important because there are lots of people who will forget every year. They forget its coming up, they forget to register, etc. While its probably not as important this year to get fliers into new places, it is still very important to make sure last years places have fliers, so that the same clientele will see them.

To the best of my knowledge, the board is planning no real extension into Friday, besides keeping registration open and having maybe one or two central events going on. An issue always is what event space we have Friday night, and more specifically, what event space we have *set-up* Friday night, because of course we use Friday to get things ready for the weekend.

Oh, I will be going out of town tomorrow, for two weeks. The board knows how to get in touch with me in the case of any emergencies. I will be in Prague and Vienna, but I will have limited internet via phone (and possibly hotel room, we'll see how that works out), though my phone for some reason will not log into the forum properly. So if there are things I need to respond to, I may have a director post my reply. I can also be reached at crichoux at gmail.com

If you have my phone number, please don't call it/text it unless it is important, use my email as that is far cheaper for me and I check it constantly.

I can't recall having had the orange-chocolate before but it sounds tasty. I think I remember having a mint one that I liked, but I'm not sure it was actually Pocky; since it's not on the Wikipedia page I suspect it was a competitor's brand.

Really there aren't many Pocky flavors I dislike. I think the only one I didn't was a banana flavor or something close to that.

---Staff 2007-20102010-2008: Website Development (So very very much in the last month before the convention at last; Good thing I'm looking for work x.x and have the spare time ~.~)2007: Website Administration (Mascot Voting Input, Live Schedule)